A Call to Arms

The call: Here is a video from a group called Iranian Artists in Exile. Their request is simple: support their revolution by having citizens in democratic societies worldwide put pressure on their governments to not accept the legitimacy of the Iranian election.




Campaign: Here is a campaign ad for Karroubi. It gives a sense of what some people wanted:



Here are the translations for the signs held up in this video:
1 (Girl in street): Defending civil rights
2 (Boy next to old man): Counterbalancing poverty/deprivation
3 (Boy pushing away donation box): Nationalizing oil income
4 (Man standing on rooftop): Reducing tension in international affairs
5 (Boy sitting next to satellite dishes): Free access to information
6 (Girl sitting besides her mother): Supporting single mothers
7 (Girl with cast): Knock down violence against women
8 (Boy): Education for all
9 (Boy infront of man locking car): Increasing public safety
10 (Girl on rooftop): Ethnic and religious minority rights
11 (Man on rooftop): Supporting NGOs
12 (Girl in front of wall): Public involvement
13 (Boy and girl): We have come for change
14: Change for Iran

This is a society desperate for change and getting out from under a corrupt regime. It is both exciting to see the ferment and tragic to watch the bloodshed and to know that the current regime won't release its grip without a lot more blood being spilled. Life is tragic. It is a constant battle of good versus evil. (I just realized how ironic that statement is. Iran was the birthplace of Zorastrianism, a religion which spread the idea of a battle between good and evil, light and dark, God and Satan. This idea infected all the monotheistic religions that came out of the Middle East.)


Street protest: The following reminds me of demonstrations in the 1960s to try and stop the war in Vietnam. The protestors are very self-controlled. Sadly, self control didn't change the Nixon government's point of view. They simply claimed they had a "silent majority" that they could count but nobody could verify because the were "silent". So they won the battle because they had the instruments of government in their hands. I sure hope the same doesn't happen to the poor people in Iran that are struggling to get control of their country from Ahmadinejad:




Protest: In Chile it was banging on pots and pans try try and shame the dictator Pinochet. In Iran it is a nightly ritual. The people are chanting “Allah Akbar” three times every night – once at 10:00, 11:00, and midnight:




Dissent: From Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, a reformist cleric in Qom, and once the designated successor to Khomeini, issued this statement:

In the name of God

People of Iran

These last days, we have witnessed the lively efforts of you brothers and sisters, old
and young alike, from any social category, for the 10th
presidential elections.

Our youth, hoping to see their rightful will fulfilled, came on the scene and waited patiently. This was the greatest occasion for the government’s officials to bond with their people.

But unfortunately, they used it in the worst way possible. Declaring results that no one in their right mind can believe, and despite all the evidence of crafted results, and to counter people protestations, in front of the eyes of the same nation who carried the weight of a revolution and 8 years of war, in front of the eyes of local and foreign reporters, attacked the children of the people with astonishing violence. And now they are attempting a purge, arresting intellectuals, political opponents and Scientifics.

Now, based on my religious duties, I will remind you :

1- A legitimate state must respect all points of view. It may not oppress all critical views. I fear that this lead to the lost of people’s faith in Islam.

2- Given the current circumstances, I expect the government to take all measures to restore people’s confidence. Otherwise, as I have already said, a government not respecting people’s vote has no religious or political legitimacy.

3- I invite everyone, specially the youth, to continue reclaiming their dues in calm, and not let those who want to associate this movement with chaos succeed.

4- I ask the police and army personals not to “sell their religion”, and beware that receiving orders will not excuse them before god. Recognize the protesting youth as your children. Today censor and cutting telecommunication lines can not hide the truth.

I pray for the greatness of the Iranian people.

Death: A student dying at Isfahan: